Featured Image Credit: Kate Green/Getty Images/Marvel Studios/Disney
Topics: Celebrity, Iron Man, Jenna Ortega, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Film and TV, Entertainment
Ella Scott
Topics: Celebrity, Iron Man, Jenna Ortega, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Film and TV, Entertainment
Jenna Ortega may miss out on securing a role in a Marvel blockbuster in the future due to a prior commitment made over a decade ago.
Former Disney actress Ortega, 21, has gone from strength to strength after gaining worldwide recognition for her role in Netflix’s Wednesday in 2022.
Since portraying the titular character, the star landed a role as the devious Cairo Sweet in Miller’s Girl, Astrid Deetz in the recently released Beetlejuice sequel and is set to appear in Taika Waititi’s Klara and the Sun adaptation.
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But before all that, Ortega gained her first foot in the entertainment industry by appearing on the CBS sitcom Rob in 2012.
In the same year, she premiered as Aimee Moore in an episode of CSI: NY before playing a small part in the American soap opera, Days of Our Lives in 2013.
Also in 2013, the California-born actress portrayed the daughter of U.S. Vice President Rodriguez (played by Miguel Ferrer) in Iron Man 3.
The seventh film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) sees Ortega’s character missing a right leg, which becomes the catalyst for Rodriguez consorting with supervillain Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce).
Killian claims his Extremis drug could help cure the Vice President’s daughter’s leg but when Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) gets involved, Ortega’s character’s fate is left hanging in the balance.
Despite simultaneously making her feature-film debut and entering the MCU for the first time 11 years ago, Ortega’s character has not been brought back.
And it turns out it could be the last we see of her in a Marvel movie too, according to Mia Khalifa.
She once took to X, formerly known as Twitter, and wrote: "Life is unfair, and I stand by that because Jenna Ortega had a cameo in a Marvel movie years ago which means we’ll never be able to see her as a lead in a Marvel movie.”
Fans of the MCU will know that most actors have been confined to portraying a singular character.
This is because casting them in two major roles can be pretty confusing for fans and could lead to filming complications further down the line.
But while it’s unlikely that Ortega will be re-cast as a comic book character it isn’t impossible.
Over the years, there have been some major stars who initially claimed a cameo role before later securing a top-billed part.
One of which is actress Gemma Chan. She first appeared in 2019’s Captain Marvel as Minn-Erva before portraying Sersi in Eternals two years later.
Kenneth Choi made his MCU debut in Captain America: The First Avenger as Private Jim Morita before later portraying Principal Morita in 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming.
A third is Linda Cardellini who has starred as Clint Barton’s (Jeremy Renner) wife Laura Barton.
She debuted as the former SHIELD Agent in Avengers: Age of Ultron but has also gone on to voice Lylla the Otter in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
So never say never, right Ortega?